3 October 2022

LABC Building Excellence Awards 2022 – Regional Winner

LABC Building Excellence Awards

We are thrilled that for the second year running Design Haus Architecture has been awarded, 'Best Residential & Small Commercial Designer' at the LABC Building Excellence Awards for the East Midlands.

These awards celebrate outstanding projects and individual contributions in the construction industry, within each of the 12 regions in the UK. There are various categories to these awards, across residential, non-residential, public and community buildings.

"The awards focus on the very best in technical innovation and construction quality, helping to raise the level of construction quality across England and Wales."

LABC Building Excellence Awards

As a regional winner, we are delighted to have been also shortlisted as a finalist in the LABC National Grand Finals. This event will showcase the winners across all regions and then award a national winner on the night. The National Grand Finals will be held at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, in January 2023

The Local Authority Building Control (LABC) represents all local authority building control teams in England and Wales, and we are delighted to be awarded such a prestigious award. Follow LABC's news and updates on LinkedIn.

If you would like to learn more about how we could assist your residential or commercial architectural project please get in touch - we'd love to hear from you.

11 May 2020

How the lockdown can help you to optimise your office space

During the current COVID-19 lockdown, many workplaces have become completely abandoned as employees have been working from home to stay safe.

The virus has had a major impact on the daily running of businesses, forcing us all to adapt and find new ways of working. While there have been many many negatives for businesses and their employees alike, there have also been some unexpected positives.

An empty office presents an unprecedented opportunity to make a few improvements to increase productivity and improve morale without disrupting staff.

Here are some ways that you can turn your empty office into an investment in the future of your business.

Assess your existing environment

First of all, it’s important to see what you’re working with. There are certain things that you may be unable to change, such as the position of walls, doors and windows, so you’ll need to plan around them.

Workplace management systems (IWMS) and computer-aided facility management (CAFM) tools are designed to show you exactly how you can utilise the environment. This will allow you to understand how much space you actually have, and how many workspaces you can support.

Doing this may highlight that your office is overcrowded in its current setup. You can then determine whether you can implement a new layout within the existing space or if the company would benefit from expanding into a bigger location.

Stay socially distanced

One concern is the possibility that the office will become a soulless grid of desks arranged to allow the maximum number of people to return to work.

While your work-from-home infrastructure is already in place, it makes sense to keep using it to ensure the safety and effectiveness of your staff.

Try not to get too bogged down in numbers, and don’t hurry to get everyone back at once. Make the most of those distance-working skills you’ve all been honing, and let those who are able to work from home continue as they are.

Consider workflow and productivity

Businesses change over time, and the way your office was originally laid out may no longer make sense. As rearranging desks and uprooting departments is hugely disruptive, we often simply put up with these less-than-perfect arrangements.

If certain teams and departments regularly collaborate with each other, it makes sense to situate them within the same area. Processes that involve working with confidential information or taking phone calls are better situated somewhere quieter and more private, such as in a separate office rather than an open-plan space.

You might want to introduce new, flexible working options to allow staff to work how best suits them. This could be quiet, private offices where people can get away from the hustle and bustle of the office when they need to concentrate, or bookable laptops and hotdesk areas for relaxed, informal working

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

Before going overboard with your new plans, it’s worth thinking about what does and doesn’t work in the office’s current format.

A great way to do this is to email staff and ask for their input. As well as learning exactly what they do and don’t like about the office, you might also find that people have some great ideas that you hadn’t considered before.

This will provide valuable insight from the people who actually work in the office every day and will prevent extensive changes that end up making things worse. It’s also nice to include your staff in the process, allowing them to feel valued and respected—and to prevent a huge shock when they eventually return to work!

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Design Haus Architecture
5 Portland Road
West Bridgford 
Nottingham NG2 6DN

studio@designhausarchitecture.co.uk

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